It all goes back to a mysterious, third century saint who
suffered a brutal fate.

St. Valentine of Terni was martyred in 269 C.E. (or somewhere
around then — it kind
of depends on what martyrology you’re reading). According to
legend, the Roman physician and priest was beaten, stoned, and
beheaded for the crimes of marrying Christian couples … and
possibly attempting to convert Emperor Claudius II.

His February 14 feast day was established by Pope Gelasius I in
496 C.E. There’s disagreement amongst historians about whether
the holiday was meant to replace the pagan fertility festival
Lupercalia.

Either way, as time went on, more romantic connotations came to
be associated with the saint. One legend has Valentine
befriending (or falling in love with) the blind daughter of a
judge (or his jailer — again, it depends). He supposedly wrote
her secret letters signed “from your Valentine” and then restored
her sight from beyond the grave.

As the cult of courtly love spread across Europe in the Middle
Ages, an even more romantic light was cast upon mid-February.As
the Folklore Society notes, Geoffrey Chaucer mentions
Valentine’s Day and describes February as the time “when every
fowl cometh there to chose his mate” (although
the blog Got Medieval asserts that the poet didn’t invent
Valentine’s Day and it was already likely associated with love by
the time he referenced it).

So, don’t feel bad if you have a crummy Valentine’s Day. It
(hopefully) won’t be worse than getting killed, confused with
other people, and kicked off the general liturgical calendar —
which is what actually happened to the real St. Valentine.